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Class 2A State Track and Field: Smith eighth, Ross sixth at state

Brainerd High School senior Cole Smith took 8th place in the triple jump with a distance of 43' 10 and 3/4 at the state track and field chamionships Friday in St. Paul. Photo by Bill Johnson.

ST. PAUL — Cole Smith couldn’t match his personal best triple jump of 45-feet-2 that propelled him to a Section 8-2A title Friday.

The Brainerd Warriors senior did jump 43-10.75 to place eighth during the Class 2A state meet at Hamline University.

After fouling on his first attempt, Smith secured his best jump on his second attempt. His final four attempts couldn’t better his distance leaving Smith behind the event winner Terrance Bowers of Hopkins. Bowers traveled 48-2 to win by more than a foot over the rest of the field.

“His goal was to be on the medal stand and his goal was to jump well,” said Brainerd jumping coach and Cole’s mother Kris Smith. “If you leave the state meet knowing you jumped your best then you did well.”

Kris Smith said Cole Smith’s first jump would have likely been his personal best but he scratched. After his second jump, Cole Smith was busy running both the 4x200 and 4x100 relays.

“I was proud of him for not backing down after he scratched on his first jump,” said Kris Smith. “He ran the 4x200 and then 15 minutes later he was running the 4x1 and he had five minutes to quick get in the rest of his jumps. But that’s the nature of the beast for multi-event athletes.”

Cole Smith and Grant Reuer will compete in the long jump Saturday.

Trysten Ross capped off a successful senior season at Little Falls by placing sixth in the Class 2A state shot put Friday at Hamline University.

Ross’ best throw of 55-feet-1.25 came on his third throw.

“I wasn’t happy because I knew I could have gotten better,” said Ross. “I needed to be a bit more aggressive. I was too hesitant. I just wasn’t aggressive enough.”

Rosemount’s Payton Otterdahl won the event with a 61-0.5.

The Flyers Daniel Mushel placed 13th in the pole vault finals with a 12-6 effort. Calvin Deike of Mankato East won the event with a 14-6.

“I started out all right and I hit the first height without missing,” said Mushel. “On the second height I missed it once and then when we got to 13 everything just kind of went wrong. I used a new pole I had never used before and the standards could have been moved up a little bit. It just went wrong on 13 feet. I really wanted to get on the podium and I think if I could have PR’d (personal record) at 13-6 I could have been in the top nine.”

Brainerd’s Sophie Balster couldn’t match her Section 8-2A distance and placed 15th in the discus with a 100-06. The sophomore fouled on two of her three throws.